Support Assistant always causing errors

This poblem is happening on my XPS Laptop after today's Windows update.

SA certainly seems to be a problem that Micheal Bell would be embarrased by!

Despite uninstalling SA and reinstalling latest version in W11 Reliability History it is Always the first entry-Faulting application name: Dell.CoreServices.Client.exe, version: 1.5.20.3

Hi joeread:

Just an FYI that other users are seeing Dell.CoreServices.Client.exe crashes logged multiple times a day in their Reliability Monitor since updating to SupportAssist v4.6.2. See Rockface's 03-Dec-2024 topic supportassist issue and aporocactus' 08-Dec-2024 XPS 9520 Are constant BSODs caused by updated SupportAssist?.

Rockface still has a valid service warranty so they created a support ticket, and after several days of troubleshooting (including a Windows OS reinstall and BIOS refresh) Dell customer support gave up and told them to uninstall SupportAssist v4.6.2 and wait to see if the next release has a bug fix.
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Dell Inspiron 15 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.5131 * Firefox v133.0.3 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.24090.11-1.1.24090.11 * Malwarebytes Premium v5.2.3.156-1.0.5108 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7783 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v5.4.0 * My Dell v2.2.6.0 * Fusion Service 2.2.14.0

Hello,

  Since I Installed SA v.4.6.2 I have crashes of Dell.CoreServices.Client.exe everyday as I see on Reliability monitor.

That’s what my performance monitor look like/ thanks for the screenshot.

Come on Dell- time for a fix!

Hi joeread / shantijoe / greg_pap :

Employee Dell-Brad L has announced that Dell is planning to push out two SupportAssist v4.x updates to fix serious bugs in v4.6.2  - see their 19-Dec-2024 post in MichaelInParis's Any way to reduce the size of the DTPDB.DB file?. If I understood that post correctly, the v4.6.3 update will begin rolling out this coming Tuesday on 24-Dec-2024 to fix a bug that impacts system performance due to excessive RAM and CPU consumption, and a second update will be released at a later date to fix a bug that causes database files in the C:\ProgramData\Dell\DTP\DB folder to grow over time and consume excessive amounts of disk space (i.e., typically in the range of 20 - 80 GB).

I have no idea if either of these upcoming updates will also fix the Dell.CoreServices.Client.exe APPCRASHs logged in your Reliability Monitors, but I'd suggest you follow MichaelInParis's topic about their DTBDB.DB bug since that will likely be the topic where employee Dell-Brad L posts status updates about these bug fixes.

Also note that Dell has apparently pulled SupportAssist v4.6.2 from their download servers because of the severity of these bugs and temporarily reverted back to the previous v4.0.3 - see melzie's 19-Dec-2024 post in Aleric's Missing "Dell Client Management Service".
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Dell Inspiron 15 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.5247 * Firefox v133.0.3 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.24090.11-1.1.24090.11 * Malwarebytes Premium v5.2.4.157-1.0.5116 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7783 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v5.4.0 * My Dell v2.2.6.0 * Fusion Service 2.2.14.0

Unfortunately 4.6.3 seems no better. It often takes so long to start that it advises me to restart the PC, and it always hangs when it claims it have 100% installed SupportAssist OS Recovery Tools.

@cinchbald​ In fact it has installed the newest version of SupportAssist OS Recovery Tools, but keeps trying to install it again. I have discovered that the way to open SupportAssist is to wait until it tells you to restart the PC, close it, and open it again.

The same SA errors continue for me with update too- surely Dell can do better than this?!

The OS recovery reports similar problems so I’ve uninstalled it on 2 PCs…

@cinchbald​ 

I have the same issues on 2 Dell systems…

On 12/26/24 my PC updated to 4.6.3.  There was no problem, then on 1/7/25 I loaded the following recommended updates using Support Assist::

    Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Plugin for Dell Update ver 5.5.13.0

    Del SupportAssist Remediation ver 5.5.13.0

Immediately upon restart the pc started running slow,  Some pages would load without the graphic interface. You had to refresh the page to get it. 

Called Dell Support, the options they gave me were to pay $19 per month for tech support to have them research it or they could uninstall SA.  I opted for the uninstall.  The machine still is running slow after the uninstall.  I saw these post after I dropped the pc off with the Geek Squad.  I'm not a very tech savy person. Geek Squad said there was not much they could do if the Bios had been updated and was causing the problem.  Options were to hope Dell put out a patch to fix or buy an new pc.

On 12/26/24 my PC updated to 4.6.3.  There was no problem, then on 1/7/25 I loaded the following recommended updates using Support Assist::

    Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Plugin for Dell Update ver 5.5.13.0

    Del SupportAssist Remediation ver 5.5.13.0

Hi @sjSycamore :

Do you mean that you still see constant errors logged for Dell.CoreServices.Client.exe in your Reliability Monitor since SupportAssist v4.6.3 was uninstalled?

If not then it would be best if you started your own topic so this thread by joeread isn't taken off-topic.  I'll monitor the forum for the next few days for any new topics you create.

If you start a new topic be sure to include your Dell computer model, Windows operating system, antivirus, default browser, current BIOS version [open a Run dialog box (Windows key + R), enter msinfo32 to open your System Information panel, and look for the “BIOS Version/Date” field], and how much free disk space you have on your hard drive. It would also be helpful to know if your poor system performance occurs randomly, at a fixed time (e.g., 30 minutes after you boot up your computer) or only when your browser is open.

Poor system performance can be difficult to diagnose, but if your problem started on 07-Jan-2025 after your Dell SupportAssist Remediation (also known as Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery or System Repair) updated to v5.5.13.0 then my first suspicion would be that your Dell SupportAssist Rmediation installation was corrupted during the update to v5.5.13.0 or that v5.5.13.0 has a bug that is consuming excessive RAM and CPU on your system (which you might be able to catch if you open Task Manager and sort by the CPU column during one of these periods of poor performance). Also see my 22-Dec-2024 post in mjelder's Updating SupportAssist caused BSOD every 35 minutes about a four-year-old bug in Dell SupportAssist Remediation that can cause some systems to become unstable for short periods of time.

If your poor system performance only occurs when your browser is open this could point to a problem with an outdated/buggy graphics driver or a browser (or browser extension) update that just happened to occur around 07-Jan-2024.
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Dell Inspiron 15 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.5247 * Firefox v134.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.24090.11-1.1.24090.11 * Malwarebytes Premium v5.2.4.157-1.0.5116 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7783 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v5.4.0 * My Dell v2.2.6.0 * Fusion Service 2.2.14.0

@lmacri​ YES. I have installed and uninstalled SA version 4.6.3.23467 and even clean installed Win 11 24H2 multiple times and as of this morning I am still getting Dell.CoreServices.Client errors in Reliability Monitor. It happens when I restart, although not exclusively. It occasionally occurs when I shut down too. As a side note, I have fast start disabled, but that does not stop the errors.

I have an Inspiron 15 3511, fully updated to BIOS 1.35. These errors have been occuring since I think the release of W11 24H2. Does anyone know when the 2nd updated version of SA will be released (the first one was released on 12/24/24). I am thinking that I will just remove SA. My machine warranty expires March 2025. 

I am just noting that these errors persist (Dell.CoreServices.Client) even with the latest SA updates.

I have installed and uninstalled SA version 4.6.3.23467 and even clean installed Win 11 24H2 multiple times and as of this morning I am still getting Dell.CoreServices.Client errors in Reliability Monitor ... Does anyone know when the 2nd updated version of SA will be released (the first one was released on 12/24/24).

Hi cammac468a9e11c:

Sorry, I haven't seen any news about an expected release date for the next version of SupportAssist v4.x that is supposed to fix the bug that causes database files in the C:\ProgramData\Dell\DTP\DB folder to grow over time and consume excessive amounts of disk space.

By any chance did you wait to see if the Dell.CoreServices.Client.exe APPCRASHs logged in your Reliability Monitor stopped after you uninstalled SupportAssist v4.6.3 (i.e. before v4.6.3 was reinstalled)?

sjSycamore's 15-Jan-2025 post <above> seems to suggest that Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery v5.5.x (listed as Dell SupportAssist Remediation at Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features and Settings | Apps) is the actual culprit.  User aporocactus was seeing those same Dell.Services.Client.exe APPCRASHs logged in their Reliability Monitor, and if I understood the 10-Dec-2024 post in their topic XPS 9520 Are constant BSODs caused by updated SupportAssist? their Dell.CoreServices.Client.exe APPCRASHs (or at the very least their BSODs) stopped after they disabled the Dell SupportAssist Remediation service in their Windows Services and re-booted to disable Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery v5.5.x.

I no longer have any SupportAssist-related programs installed on my Inspiron 5584 but here's an old image I captured in Feb 2023 after I temporarily disabled the Dell SupportAssist Remediation service to troubleshoot a problem Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery v5.5.5 was causing on my system.

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Dell Inspiron 15 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.5371 * Firefox v134.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.24090.11-1.1.24090.11 * Malwarebytes Premium v5.2.4.157-1.0.5116 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7783 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v5.4.0 * My Dell v2.2.6.0 * Fusion Service 2.2.14.0

@lmacri​ Good morning. Yes the Dell.CoreServices.Client.exe errors stopped after I uninstalled SA. After reading your response above, I installed SA and disabled Dell SupportAssist Remediation in Windows Services but these same errors continue. I will uninstall SA and wait for Dell to update it. Hopefully it won't take too long. Thanks for your interaction and help.

Yes the Dell.CoreServices.Client.exe errors stopped after I uninstalled SA. After reading your response above, I installed SA and disabled Dell SupportAssist Remediation in Windows Services but these same errors continue ...

Hi cammac468a9e11c:

Thanks for your confirmation that your Dell.CoreServices.Client.exe errors stopped after you uninstalled SupportAssist v4.6.3.

Just a word of caution that Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery v5.5.x won't function correctly as long as your Dell SupportAssist Remediation service is disabled in your Windows Services.  If you haven't already done so you might want to change the Startup Type of this service back to its original default [which I believe is Automatic (Delayed Startup)] if you are going to rely on this program for a possible emergency recovery of your system.

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ASIDE: After removing all SupportAssist-related programs from my Inspiron 5584 I replaced Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery v5.5.x with Macrium Reflect Free v8 disk imaging software (which reached end of support in January 2024 but continues to function - see TechRepublic's June 2023 Top 5 Free & Reliable Hard Disk Drive Cloning Software for 2023 for other suggestions).  I used Macrium Reflect Free to create emergency media (e.g., a bootable removable USB stick) and I now save the occasional full disk image on an external backup drive in case I ever have perform a emergency recovery and want to quickly re-image my entire hard drive to an earlier date. As an added precaution I've enabled Windows System Restore (disabled by default in Win 10 and Win 11) as instructed in the Windows Central article How to Use System Restore on Windows 11 so I always have a recent Windows restore point I can use to roll back my Windows OS.

See my 22-Mar-2023 post in my topic Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Plugin for Dell Update Rolled Back to v5.5.4.16189 for other steps I've taken to replace the functionality of my SupportAssist-related programs.
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Dell Inspiron 15 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.5371 * Firefox v134.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.24090.11-1.1.24090.11 * Malwarebytes Premium v5.2.4.157-1.0.5116 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7783 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v5.4.0 * My Dell v2.2.6.0 * Fusion Service 2.2.14.0